The Cubs announced to reporters that right-hander Pierce Johnson, who was designated for assignment last week, has been claimed off waivers by the Giants. The Giants have transferred first baseman Brandon Belt to the 60-day DL to clear a spot for Johnson, per Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area (Twitter link), which definitively puts an end to Belt’s 2017 season.

Now 26 years of age, Johnson once ranked as one of the Cubs’ very best pitching prospects and was considered the game’s No. 87 overall prospect by Baseball America in the 2013-14 offseason. The former No. 43 overall pick turned in a very strong 2.74 ERA with 9.4 K/9 against 3.3 BB/9 across two A-ball levels in 2013 in order to earn that distinction, but his star has faded since that time.

Johnson posted similarly strong ERA marks in both 2014 and 2015, but he struggled with control in ’14 and saw his strikeout rate drop drastically in ’15. The Cubs shifted him to the bullpen for much of the 2016 season in Triple-A Iowa, but Johnson responded with a 6.14 ERA and 6.1 BB/9 through 63 innings that year (albeit with a gaudy 10.7 K/9 rate).

The 2017 season was better, as Johnson pitched almost exclusively in a relief role and posted improvements in ERA (4.34 ERA), strikeout rate (12.3 K/9) and walk rate (4.5 BB/9). He has an option remaining beyond the 2017 season, so if the Giants carry him on the 40-man roster through the offseason, they’ll have the luxury of sending him to the minors during or after Spring Training without first needing to expose him to waivers.

Perhaps they pushed Maples too soon, but it seemed worth the risk given their unstable ‘pen and his fantastic season.
Also, keep in mind it was the Tseng callup that removed Johnson from the 40-man, not Maples.

I don’t disagree that Maples had a troubling BB%, but he also had a much better year than Johnson.

I’ll bet on Maples over Johnson at this point, fwiw. I’m also confused by the Rusin comparison, as he’s a lefty that proved capable in the bigs. Johnson is a righty that has yet to prove himself in the minors.

Chris Rusin was a pitcher who the Cubs badly misused his roster options. His first option was burned needlessly in 2012 when he was called up to make a start in late August, then sent back to Iowa, burning an option season over six or seven days in a season that didn’t matter. Then, in 2014, Rusin was DFA’d while Josh Vitters retained a roster spot.

Epstein is usually good about roster management. However, by botching Rusin two different times, the Rockies were gifted a player that has turned into a useful relief pitcher.

By calling up Taylor Davis and Dillon Maples, Johnson departure was hastened.

I don’t know if Johnson will be useful into the future. Nor do you, or any of us, for sure.

Talent should only be surrendered when _absolutely necessary_. In this case, losing PJ wasn’t absolutely necessary. It was uncharacteristically poor roster management.

By leaving Davis/Maples in the minors until the off-season, the Cubs could have retained all three.

more of this please! giants right now ought to be claiming guys all over the place, worst case the guys don’t work out and you cut them but if you can rehab them like they did with dyson who they got for near nothing it is an easy painless way to put some value on the team and possibly fill some positions that would need filling otherwise in the offseason through trades and FA.